La productivité des océans: vers une approche dynamique pluridisciplinaire
Hoepffner, N.; Sathyendranath, S.; Platt, T. (1989). La productivité des océans: vers une approche dynamique pluridisciplinaire, in: Denis, M. (Ed.) Océanologie: actualité et prospective. pp. 339-366
In: Denis, M. (Ed.) (1989). Océanologie: Actualité et prospective. Centre d' Océanologie: Marseille. ISBN 2-907752-00-6. 387 pp., more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Hoepffner, N.
- Sathyendranath, S.
- Platt, T.
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| Abstract |
There has been, of late, an increased interest in quantifying the global oceanic primary production, in view of its role in mediating the climate response to excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this context, it is also important to know the ratio «f», which defines the exportable fraction of primary production. The f-ratio is usually determined in terms of the components of the nitrogen cycle. Intercomparison of large-scale estimates of primary production based on carbon, nitrogen and oxygen cycles often show significant differences. It is argued that one of the principal causes for this discrepancy is gross undersampling, and consequent problem with interpolating and extrapolating the results to time and space scales not covered by the observation program. Examples are shown to demonstrate that primary production and f- ratio vary markedly in response to changes in physical forcing ranging from the microscale through mesoscale to large scale. Biologic control of primary production takes place through variations in the structure of the pelagic food chain. The optical approach to primary production is also important, since it offers the possibility of large-scale estimates through remote sensing. In conclusion, studies of oceanic production call for an integrated multi-disciplinary approach. |
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